5/25/15

Record Review: Dark Ages - Vapor

“You have been wasted. You have been taken for a ride.” That line from the title track of the new Dark Ages LP accurately sums up the feeling you get listening to it. Which is to say it’s difficult to compartmentalize exactly what’s going on here. (Not surprisingly there’s a number of bands named Dark Ages. We’re talking about the one from Kansas City, MO that features drummer Jason Shrout—formerly of 18 Visions, Trial, and Renouncer—and is often referred to as “hardcore punk.”) Yes, in the simplest of terms Vapor is a hardcore punk record. But there’s a lot of manic directional changes taking place within’ these songs that will catch you off-guard and leave you slightly bewildered. These musical gradations lend a math rock, prog-y vibe; not in an eye-rolling, groan-inducing way though; rather an incoherent way fitting for hardcore. You're rarely allowed the comfort of settling into a groove. And the analog recording adds an element of richness to the overall tone. As the cliché goes, this is hardcore being pushed into yet another new direction. For real this time though. In summation there are three things I can say about this record with absolute certainty: It’s confusing, it’s good, and it’s confusingly good. Layout and art-wise, Vapor is another impressive package from the Sorry State camp. For the collectors there’s 100 copies on black & blue swirl vinyl out there. And for the rest of us there's regular old black. Go get 'em.

Disclaimer: Within is merely documentation and fictionalization, which is in no association with the publishers' identity and therefore cannot be used as evidence in the court of law to identify and/or incriminate the authors or anyone associated with these persons. The authors do not endorse or participate in illegal or morally questionable activity, but show an appreciation for and documentation and fictionalization of this lifestyle. If you see a photo of yourself that you'd like removed, email us, and we will take it down. Same goes for stories--names can easily be changed at your request. All content is intellectual property of HotDogDayz™. When using content from this site or the zines, please include a link or properly annotate. If you are easily offended, have a lousy sense of humor, or hate fun, HDD is probably not for you. Please view at your own risk!